if god were an impressionist

by Erik Richardson

if an impressionist had designed the world

there would be no edges sharp enough to cut

and letters and books would be far too blurry to read.

water would be made of blue and white cobblestones,

of course. our hair would look like bird nests

as the fun-house mirrors would never show true.

there would be no rainforests or deserts

only lilypad ponds, and manicured parks,

and fields of poppies or wheat spreading to the edges.

everyone would live near the bumpy water,

like the sea coast and the river’s edge,

riddled with sailboats or steamships or both.

and what night sky fireworks there would be

with every planet and orange-white-hurricane star

twisting and twirling the dark around it

while all along the street, smudged ballerinas

would sit in sidewalk cafes with gray-bearded men

with umbrellas and top hats, murmuring in french.

~ first published in Stoneboat